In his years-long pursuit to build a great defense at USC, Lincoln Riley first entrusted the job to a familiar face from his Oklahoma days. When that failed, Riley handed the reins of his defense — and a massive paycheck — to the crosstown rival’s rising star … who then left two years later.
Now, in his third try at finding a leader for USC’s defense, Riley is working to lure a Hall of Famer to Hollywood.
USC is closing in on a deal to hire Gary Patterson, the longtime Texas Christian coach, as its defensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.
Patterson, who hasn’t been a full-time coach since 2021, would come to USC just weeks after being voted into the College Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. Patterson spent 24 seasons at Texas Christian, where he developed his reputation as a preeminent defensive mind and masterful evaluator of talent. His 4-2-5 scheme led the Horned Frogs to finish No. 1 in total defense five times in his 21 years as coach, while he was twice named coach of the year by the Associated Press.
Patterson was the winningest coach in TCU history and the second-longest-tenured coach in Division I, behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, when he resigned in October 2021 after being told he wouldn’t be back the following season.
Riley, who was Oklahoma’s coach at the time, said he was “sick” when he heard the news of Patterson’s exit. The two coaches knew each other well, having crossed paths in the Big 12 for half a decade by that point.
Riley left for USC a month later, while Patterson floated around other Texas football programs in consultant roles. He worked as a defensive analyst on Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Texas in 2022 and was offered a chance to return in 2023 but opted to take a year off. Patterson then accepted a role as a “senior level strategic consultant” on Baylor’s staff in February 2024, only to leave six months later, on the doorstep of the season.
Riley, meanwhile, was struggling to find any sense of stability for his USC defense. Under Alex Grinch, who followed Riley from Oklahoma, the Trojans unraveled on that end. The nadir came in 2023 as the defense finished 121st in the nation in points per game, giving up 34.4, and 119th in yards per game, giving up 432.8. Grinch was fired the first week of November.
The next day Riley declared USC would build “a great defense” during his tenure.
“I have complete belief, conviction,” the coach said. “It is going to happen. There’s not a reason in the world why it can’t.”
That process has been slow in the Big Ten. In two seasons as defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn made substantial progress in building a unit that could withstand the conference’s more physical nature. After hitting rock bottom with Grinch, USC gave up 10 fewer points per game under Lynn and nearly 50 fewer yards per game on the ground.
But that progress hit some snags last season as injuries ravaged the Trojans’ depth on defense. Then, just before the bowl game, Lynn left for the same job at his alma mater, Penn State, after rejecting the school’s advances a year earlier.
Coincidentally, it was Patterson’s old program, TCU, that ended the Trojans’ season a few days later with a walk-off touchdown in the Alamo Bowl.
The search that led Riley to focus on Patterson lasted more than three weeks into the offseason, through the January transfer portal window. USC still managed to add five players on defense, including one of the top defensive backs available in Iowa State’s Jontez Williams.
Patterson would inherit a defense without many of its top contributors from a season ago, including linebacker Eric Gentry, safety Kamari Ramsey and defensive lineman Anthony Lucas. But the Trojans also welcomed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class to campus recently, a group that includes five top-100 prospects on defense, according to 247 Sports.
For Patterson, getting the best out of his defenders never proved to be a problem at TCU, where he was known for unearthing underrated prospects. But how the dynamic might look at USC with Patterson, a 21-year coach, stepping into a coordinator role remains unclear.
It’s also uncertain how Patterson’s hire would impact the Trojans’ remaining defensive staff. Secondary coach Doug Belk didn’t have his contract renewed, possibly to clear the way for Patterson to coach safeties. Mike Ekeler was hired from Nebraska to coach linebackers in addition to special teams, perhaps making linebackers coach Rob Ryan expendable.
The status of defensive line coach Shaun Nua also remains up in the air.
In a back-and-forth high-scoring affair Thursday night, the Lakers led by 13 points in the second quarter before the Charlotte Hornets rallied to build a 15-point lead in the third quarter.
In the end, the Hornets kept the momentum they stole from the Lakers, rolling to a 135-117 win at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers’ defense couldn’t slow down LaMelo Ball in the second half and it was unable to stop the Hornets’ blistering three-point shooting.
As a result, the Lakers (24-15) lost for the fourth time in five games.
“I mean, it doesn’t matter who it is. Doesn’t matter the team, doesn’t matter the player,” Marcus Smart said. “If they were shooting 20% [before], they’re shooting 50%. And it’s unfortunate, but that’s part of the game. It’s tough. We got to figure it out. We got to play with a little bit more urgency on that end, especially, and kind of impose our will.
“It’s not easy. Especially when you play for the Lakers, you always are the hunted— no matter what.”
The Hornets shot 53% from the field in the second half, 54% percent from three-point range. Ball had 27 of his 30 points in the second half. After the Lakers closed to within 10 points with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth, Ball’s back-to-back three-pointers essentially closed out the game.
“He had some crazy shots, but that’s what he do,” said Luka Doncic, who scored 39 points. “He was shooting a lot of threes off the dribble … so he got really hot. So it’s kind of hard to stop.”
Charlotte forward Brandon Miller looks to pass in front of Lakers star LeBron James in the first quarter Thursday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Even with all of the Lakers’ starters scoring in double figures, it wasn’t enough. LeBron James, who didn’t speak to reporters after the game, had 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Jake LaRavia had 18 points, Deandre Ayton scored 12 points and Smart had 10.
The start of the game was so different for the Lakers.
Doncic blew a kiss to the crowd and threw his hands in the air after drilling a first-quarter three. Doncic smiled at the Lakers’ bench after shooting another three-pointer a short time later.
During those moments, Doncic epitomized the kind of joy Lakers coach JJ Redick wants to see his team exhibit.
The rest of the Lakers followed Doncic’s lead as the team built a 48-55 lead in the second quarter.
Doncic led the Lakers in the first quarter, scoring 19 points on seven-for-12 shooting, which included a trio of threes. The Lakers had 14 three-pointers in the game, but it wasn’t enough to stop a more consistent Charlotte attack.
The Lakers were outscored 34-16 in the second quarter, 40-38 in the third and 31-24 in the fourth.
“We all knew that they got our full respect and attention pregame and I thought we fought,” Redick said. “Just another team that has a hot shooting night.”
Etc.
Redick said backup center Jaxson Hayes had an MRI scan that revealed hamstring tendinopathy in his left leg. Hayes, who is averaging 6.3 points per game, missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. “It’s hopefully a short-term thing and hopefully he’ll be back at some point this weekend,” Redick said. The Lakers play at Portland on Saturday before facing the Toronto Raptors at home on Sunday.
Happy New Year, and welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter. So much has happened since we last hit your inbox. The USC-Notre Dame rivalry officially was scrapped (until 2030, at least). D’Anton Lynn took the defensive coordinator job at Penn State, his alma mater. And USC finished its season with a brutal last stand at the Alamo Bowl.
Now the most critical offseason of Lincoln Riley’s tenure with the Trojans lies ahead. The next few weeks especially could make or break the coach’s future at USC. And it all starts with hiring a new defensive coordinator.
Fight on! Are you a true Trojans fan?
Whoever is hired steps into a pressure cooker from the very start. The heat already has cranked up on USC’s coach. If the Trojans don’t make the College Football Playoff, Riley and his coordinator-to-be-named-later could be looking for new jobs at this time next year. And just making the playoff is going to require serious progress on a defense that must replace key players at every level and faces Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon next season.
It might be tempting, with that in mind, to try to maintain continuity, to circle the wagons and promote from within, hoping it’s enough to push USC into the playoff. This idea started taking hold as days dragged on after Lynn’s exit and fans’ panic started to pique: Maybe it was most prudent, the logic went, to promote defensive line coach Eric Henderson to coordinator.
After all, he called defensive plays in the bowl game. He’s a beloved assistant and top-notch recruiter. Not to mention that Georgia Tech, his alma mater, is interested in him for its staff.
Hiring someone else might mean not only losing Henderson in the staff shuffle, but also potentially losing key players or recruits along his defensive line. Several of those players, including five-star freshman Jahkeem Stewart, have publicly endorsed Henderson for the job.
Look, Henderson is a really good coach. And it’s great that his players think so highly of him. But now is not the time to make him — or anyone else on USC’s staff — the defensive coordinator.
That’s not a reflection on Henderson or secondary coach Doug Belk so much as it’s a reflection on the moment. Riley can’t afford for this coordinator hire, his third in five years, to fail. Not after all the resources that USC has poured into this next season being the culmination of its overhaul of the football program. To hand the defense to anyone other than a proven coach with a track record of immediate success is a risk that Riley just can’t take. Not now.
The question is whether any proven coaches are willing to take a risk with USC.
That’s not to say the right coach can’t step in next season and immediately make the Trojans a top-25 defense. Pete Kwiatkowski seemed to fit that profile. He has deep college experience, a close connection to athletic director Jennifer Cohen and a defense that just two years ago was among the top in college football. That he was let go by Texas just before USC lost its coordinator seemed like kismet.
But as of Sunday night, according to the Athletic, Kwiatkowski was trending toward becoming Stanford’s defensive coordinator.
Stanford.
Now I don’t know where Kwiatkowski stood in the pecking order of candidates for USC. Nor is USC doomed if it doesn’t hire him.
But that’s the profile of a coordinator that should get the job. A proven coach capable of getting the best out of USC’s talent and turning the Trojans into a playoff-caliber defense in the way his predecessors couldn’t.
Because if this doesn’t work, Riley won’t get the chance to hire a fourth.
Transfer portal notes, Week 1
Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, the most coveted player who’s not a quarterback in the portal, is scheduled to meet with USC.
(Michael Woods / Associated Press)
—Iowa State cornerback Jontez Williams became the first big-name commitment out of the portal for USC, and he’s a big get indeed. Williams started just five games last year before suffering a season-ending injury but was a standout and All-Big 12 second-team selection in 2024. Securing a No. 1 cornerback was always a top priority for USC in the portal, and the Trojans managed to find one within two days. A good start. Presumably Williams was paid to start next to Chasen Johnson or Marcelles Williams next season.
—USC is in the market for a top receiver and has a visit set up for Thursday with Cam Coleman, the most coveted portal player who’s not a quarterback. Landing Coleman, a top-five prospect in the 2024 class who played at Auburn, would be a huge coup — and Riley has shown a propensity for pulling in top transfer receivers in the past. Coleman, though, is an Alabama native and is considering Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M too. His previous recruiting cycle revolved around SEC country. He’s also going to command a massive payday, maybe the largest for any player outside of a quarterback. USC may find it more prudent to use that money elsewhere.
—If USC can’t land Coleman, there still are plenty of viable options available. Expect USC to be aggressive in finding at least one transfer receiver to join the fray. North Carolina State wideout Terrell Anderson, who led the Wolfpack in receiving, visited USC on Sunday. Texas wideout DeAndre Moore Jr. spent time at St. John Bosco and Los Alamitos High, where he was teammates with outgoing Trojans wideout Makai Lemon.
—Linebacker remains a position of significant need, and USC managed to snag the first one that came to visit. Washington’s Deven Bryant was third on the Huskies in tackles. But while he doesn’t strike me as a difference-maker at that position, he was graded higher against the run than any of USC’s linebackers.
—Others to watch on the defensive line: Penn State end Zuriah Fisher, who visited this past weekend, and Clemson tackle Stephiylan Green.
Jaden Brownell, right, may have been the only Trojan to have a good game against Michigan.
(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
—Of the football players who have yet to be signed, three stand out: Quarterback Husan Longstreet, defensive tackle Jide Abasiri and defensive back Alex Graham. Longstreet is obvious. As a five-star passer prospect, he’d be the heir apparent after Jayden Maiava if he decides to stick around. But it’s a surprise these days if anyone does. Abasiri is an athletic marvel with a ton of unrealized potential as a pass rusher, and Graham earned a ton of praise before having his freshman season derailed by injuries. Keeping two of the three would be a coup.
—The USC men were dominated by Michigan in a 30-point loss. Now Michigan State awaits in East Lansing. That’s a brutal one-two punch coming out of the holiday break, and the Trojans didn’t look ready for the fight Friday. Michigan jumped out to an 11-0 lead, forcing six turnovers in the process, and USC never fully bounced back. No one, outside of maybe reserve forward Jaden Brownell, had anything approaching a good game. The Trojans don’t have long to bounce back, with Michigan State on tap at Breslin Center on Monday. The Spartans are coming off a tough loss at Nebraska and will have something to prove. USC will have its work cut out for it.
—The USC women don’t have the frontcourt to hang with teams like UCLA. Lindsay Gottlieb wasn’t able to lure any top-tier transfer bigs in the offseason, and while that lack of a frontcourt doesn’t always show up against lesser or smaller teams, it was an obvious issue against UCLA and Lauren Betts. I’m not sure where Gottlieb goes from here with the frontcourt if she hopes to be competitive against UCLA the next time around. Maybe Gerda Raulusaityte takes a step forward in the coming weeks before their next meeting. Maybe Kennedy Smith, at 6 feet 1, could just start at the five? (Only half-kidding.) Whatever she does, Gottlieb will be working around this problem the rest of this season.
—Everyone agrees that the college football calendar has to change. So let’s do something about it. There are still two weeks until the College Football Playoff title game. The regular season ended the last weekend of November. That’s way too long to wait even before you consider that three of the four teams that had byes — and the long layoff that comes with them — lost in this playoff. Teams with a bye are now 1-7. But the problems with the calendar go deeper than that. Eventually, when the playoff moves to 16 teams — or more — we’ll do away with conference championship week and move everything up. If you played the first round during championship week, you could be done by the latest on Jan. 8. That’s much more reasonable.
Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs and Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis in “The Beast in Me.”
(Courtesy of Netflix)
Netflix has had a good year in the slow-burn, psychological thriller department, and “The Beast in Me” is another worthy entrant into that group. Claire Danes stars as an author still paralyzed by the sudden loss of her son to a car accident. When she decides to write about her new neighbor — the mysterious real estate scion Nile Jarvis, who is played by Matthew Rhys — she becomes obsessed with determining if the rumors that Jarvis killed his wife are true.
I could do without Danes’ signature lip quiver, but the always-tremendous Rhys is a creepy revelation. Certainly worth your time for a quick, eight-episode binge.
Until next time …
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
It’s time to peer into my crystal ball to see what 2026 has in store for the Southland’s high school athletes (and a few former ones), coaches and fans:
JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, armed with passports from the United States, Israel and Australia, will soar so far past 7 feet in the high jump that national organizations from three different countries will fight to have him represent their team. …
Striker Pence, a sophomore pitcher at Corona Santiago with a 100-mph fastball, will receive an endorsement deal from a radar gun company. …
The UCLA-USC women’s basketball games will have so many celebrities and former players wanting to be seen that TMZ won’t need to pay for video. …
The high school soccer debut of incoming freshman Zoe Thompson, sister of Alyssa and Giselle, will be so big that Harvard-Westlake will need to give out red bibs to photographers to identify who’s real media. …
Norco junior shortstop Dylan Seward will hit for the cycle. …
Jaden Soong celebrates after winning the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis on July 11, 2024.
(SCGA)
St. Francis sophomore golfer Jaden Soong will win a second straight CIF championship, then have to answer the same question over and over, “When are you turning pro?” …
Gary Morse, a 6-foot-8 senior pitcher at Orange Lutheran, should be one of the best in the Southland in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Orange Lutheran 6-foot-8 senior pitcher Gary Morse will throw a no-hitter, then find a hoop and celebrate with a dunk. …
Sophomore catcher Jordan Lindsay (left) and sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna will be key players for Birmingham in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The Birmingham sophomore pitcher/catcher duo of Carlos Acuna and Jordan Lindsay will lead the Patriots to the City Section baseball title, then celebrate with a dogpile at Dodger Stadium in which the 6-2, 200-pound Lindsay protects Acuna from being suffocated at the bottom by teammates. …
Santa Margarita shortstop Brody Schumaker (left) and his father, Skip, the manager of the Texas Rangers.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker, who had eight bunt singles last season, will be asked by his father, Skip, the new manager of the Texas Rangers, to show off his bunting skills at spring training. …
Brian Prince of Cathedral will break 47 seconds in the 400 meters. …
Rickee Luevano of Sylmar and Xavier Allen of Carson will battle to be the home run champion in the City Section. …
Eastvale Roosevelt’s Aubrey McLaughlin, who won a gold medal playing for the Team USA U-18 softball team in the World Cup, will break out her new jewelry for a showdown game against Norco. …
All-City linebackers De’Andre Kirkpatrick of Crenshaw and Elyjah Staples of Marquez will become among the first City Section players to receive NIL deals. …
You always know someone is an old time baseball coach when you see a pencil attached to an ear. Some kids don’t know what a pencil is. Cypress’ John Weber. pic.twitter.com/FWcpNdA2Jk
Cypress baseball coach John Weber will receive an NIL deal from a pencil company because he’s always walking around with a pencil tucked behind his ear. …
The amazing Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial will try anything. 10 interceptions as a junior. Snowboarder. Starting center fielder. Now he’s on the mound. pic.twitter.com/3QBbu8XCb8
Corona Centennial’s All-CIF defensive back Jaden Walk-Green, who also starts in center field for the baseball team, will show so much promise snowboarding that he’ll decide to seek an Olympic Games berth in 2028. …
George Hastings of Agoura will try to play every position in a football game this season. …
There will be so many quarterbacks transferring that MaxPreps’ digital rosters will go down from too many clicks. …
PlayOn, which owns MaxPreps, GoFan and the NFHS Network, will go for a California prep sports monopoly by bidding for the CIF state playoffs contract that runs out in June. …
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite will record so many pancake blocks that IHOP will sign him to promote a week of all-you-can eat pancakes for anyone who weighs 280 pounds and up. . . .
A basketball official, tired of hearing a parent complain about his calls, will stop the game, give his whistle to the parent and dare him to take over. …
Louis Lappe, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo walk-off home run off Curacao’s Jay-Dlynn Wiel during the sixth inning of the Little League World Series Championship game iin 2023.
Shohei Ohtani will be spotted working out at a high school baseball field, causing multiple helicopters to be dispatched to provide commentary like an L.A. car chase. …
USC will resolve any red-zone scoring deficiencies by installing freshman Trent Mosley at wildcat quarterback. …
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will be UCLA’s closer this season.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will become the long-sought standout closer to lead UCLA to the NCAA baseball title. …
With four Southern California players on its roster, led by Sherman Oaks Notre Dame grad Ella Parker, Oklahoma’s softball team will hold a beach day at practice to make sure its SoCal players are not feeling homesick. …
Freshman tight end Austin Miller of Bellflower will be the first to motivate new UCLA coach Bob Chesney to drop by campus for a personal introduction. …
Valencia sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister will be a breakout passing star. …
After nine consecutive years of Northern California teams losing in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl final, the CIF will agree to allow postseason transfers to De La Salle or San Mateo Serra so they can be competitive. …
Huntington Beach surfer Bailey Turner, shows her medals after returning from the ISA World Junior Surf Championships in Peru.
(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)
Bailey Turner of Huntington Beach, the ISA World Junior Surf Championhip winner, will continue her preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games by riding one big wave after another. …
After the Cleveland Browns’ Carson Schwesinger is named defensive rookie of the year, all the people who didn’t rate him highly at Oaks Christian during his high school days will use magic markers to update their star rankings.
